Society Girls

Abstract In 1891 the Glaspell family moved into the house that was to remain their home throughout Susan’s life, and which still stands today, at 317 East 12th Street, on the bluffs of Davenport, a few blocks from the crest. It was a white-wood, two-story, five-room house, set back from the street. The front sitting room was a good size and was heated by a large fireplace; behind it was a combination dining room and kitchen. A steep flight of stairs led to three bedrooms, the back one Susan would later turn into her study, since it afforded a glimpse of the Mississippi. The immediate neigh borhood was middle-class, but within walking distance were the large mansions of the Fickes and Frenches, the leading families in town, who would also produce writers. In order for Susan to get to her high school, she would pass by these opulent Victorian homes, taking the same route her protagonist Irma Lee follows to school. As a protection against rejection, Irma immerses herself in the stories of her pioneer grandparents and imagines herself a queen still ruling “all the land between here and Scott Street.” Susan may have had many of the same feelings she attributes to Irma; but instead of masking her thoughts, she found an outlet to express them through her writing, positioning herself as the outside observer of Davenport society, able to satirize and expose the foibles of its lifestyle.